Trail ride line dancing is riding high on SC entertainment scene

The country life is trending in South Carolina in the form of dance.  

Empty fields, boots and clacking fans are all the rave as trail ride-style line dancing gains traction. 

“It’s very dirty, like we’re out there in a dirt field, kicking it up wearing our cowboy boots,” said Mariah Colbert, a senior at the University of South Carolina. “I like to put on my huge belt with the rhinestones, bandanna, cowgirl hat — all that stuff.” 

Trail ride-style line dancing consists of many twists, kicks, dips and folding fan claps.  

When a trail ride dance is actually done on a trail ride, that’s when props come into play: tractors, ATVs, dirt bikes and horses. And the boots, of course.

South Carolina-based artist 803Fresh’s song “Boots on the Ground” hit nationally viral status as a line dance. 

His song features the line, “Where them fans at?” followed by dancers clacking their hand fans, open and closed, to the beat.  

“Even if you’re not doing the dance, you can still clap your fan really loud to hype up the people doing the dances,” Colbert said. “It’s all around super supportive.” 

Colbert is the president of USC’s Melanin Movement dance organization. The group began hosting line dance classes, and even selling clacking fans, after seeing its popularity on social media. 

“It’s hard to watch through the screen and try to learn it,” Colbert said. “It’s easier for some people to come in and learn it in person.” 

The line dance movement emphasizes community, she said. 

“It’s something so special about hearing a song come on and then everybody just jumps in,” Colbert said. “No matter where you’re from or how much experience you have, everyone jumps in. It’s a form of expression. So fun. So freeing. I’d compare it to cultural pride. Because we’re in the South, doing Southern things.” 

Trail ride dancing isn’t a solo activity. Some dancers even form groups. 

Ja’La-el Booth dances with a group called MANE Attraction. 

She said the trail ride dance scene reminds her of a family gathering.  

“You may not know all the moves, but there are people who teach you as you go,” she said. “Line dance is different when you’re in a group because you can see a different way people do different moves or dancing styles. And it’s also fun when you can dance with a group instead of just one person.” 

The shift towards line dancing is even changing the way DJs curate sets, said Jonathan Brown, “DJ JB,” the go-to DJ for USC’s Hip Hop Wednesday in front of the Russell House student union. 

“I drop line songs when I don’t have the crowd’s attention,” he said. “When I drop a song like ‘Flex,’ everybody runs to the floor.” 

Brown credits South Carolina-based artist King George for helping the line dance movement nationwide.  

“He broke the barrier,” Brown said. “When he dropped ‘Friday Night,’ that song started going wild all around the United States.” 

He predicts trail ride dancing and Southern soul music will continue to grow. 

“It’s like a new groundbreaking of hip-hop,” Brown said. “I think this thing is about to go viral for years and get bigger and bigger. It’s good cause they’re putting South Carolina on the map.”